Evangeline couldn’t leave the hospital yet. That afternoon, she called Glenn and asked him to bring her work laptop.
When Glenn arrived, she immediately noticed the faint bruise and swelling on his cheekbone–a fresh scrape, by the looks of it.
It reminded her of the similar mark she’d seen on Soren’s face.
A suspicion crept into her mind.
“Did you get into a fight with Soren?” she asked.
Glenn didn’t bother hiding it. He simply nodded.
“Why?” Evangeline was genuinely puzzled.
Glenn and Soren had never gotten along, but they rarely crossed paths, and neither of them seemed the type to throw the first punch. What could have sparked a fight between them? It couldn’t possibly be… because of her?
Glenn seemed to guess what she was thinking. He looked away, a little sheepish. “It’s a guy thing. Don’t worry about it.”
Since he’d put it like that, Evangeline didn’t press further.
But she knew she’d guessed right–Glenn had fought with Soren because of her.
The realization left her with a tangled mix of feelings.
On the one hand, she was touched. In all these years, Glenn was the first person who’d ever stood up for her. On the other, she didn’t want Glenn getting into trouble with Soren on her account.
But what was done was done.
She let it go.
She glanced at the clock and did a quick count in her head.
Five days.
In five days, not only would UME’s new product launch take place, but she and Soren would also finalize their divorce.
After that, there would be nothing left between them.
Pushing the matter from her mind, Evangeline tried to focus on work. Maybe it was
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the illness, but her thoughts kept drifting. Ideas flickered at the edge of her mind, only to slip away before she could grab hold.
If this went on much longer, she’d run out of time.
Just as she was starting to worry, her phone rang again that evening.
She glanced down. Finn.
Lockridge Holdings was currently UME’s biggest investor. Even though Finn had signed the contract without a hitch, Evangeline knew the Lockridges were never easy to deal with.
If UME’s launch was suddenly delayed, there was no telling what Lockridge Holdings might do with that information. This was another reason she insisted on sticking to the schedule.
After a moment’s hesitation, Evangeline answered the call.
Right away, Finn’s smooth, teasing voice came through the line. “I heard you’re under the weather. What happened? You really need to take better care of yourself.”
“It’s nothing serious, but thanks for checking in,” she replied.
Finn clicked his tongue in mock disappointment. “What a shame. I’m out of town on business the next couple of days, or I’d have come by to look after you myself.”
He sounded genuinely regretful.
Evangeline was used to this kind of not–quite–serious, not–quite–joking tenderness from him.
“So, when are you back?” she asked.
Finn chuckled. “Why? Miss me already?”
Evangeline shook her head, mimicking his tone. “I’ll try to hold on until you return–so you can come see me in person.”
“No need to push yourself,” Finn replied dramatically, letting out a long sigh. “It pains me to think of a beautiful woman suffering.”
Evangeline fell silent.
If someone else had said something like that, it would have sounded unbearably sleazy. But coming from Finn, it somehow felt natural–sincere, even. For a moment, you could almost believe he meant every word.
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If she were still a naïve girl, she might have found herself falling for him.
But after years of marriage and disappointments, Evangeline had learned to keep her feet firmly on the ground. She watched people more closely now, saw through things more clearly.
She could tell that whatever affection Finn showed her–whatever interest he pretended–none of it was real.
To this day, she’d never met the real Finn.
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